Sophie Klisman
Sophie Teich Klisman was born in Lodz, Poland in 1929. After the Nazis invaded Poland, Sophie and her family were sent to live in the ghetto, where her parents and one of her siblings fell sick and died. When the Lodz ghetto was liquidated in 1944, Sophie and her surviving siblings were deported in boxcars to Auschwitz. Sophie survived selection in the camp by lying about her age. Sophie and her sister were sent to Bergen-Belsen, then to the Salzwedel concentration camp, where they were forced to work in an ammunition factory. Sophie and her sister were liberated by American troops in April 1945. They lived in Displaced Persons Camps until they were able to travel to the United States in 1949.
“Nobody, nobody should have to live through such terrors, such horrible conditions at such a young age, or at any age. It was a horrible experience, but I’m glad that I finally was able to tell it.”
More Survivor Stories
Survivor Talk Sundays
Join us on Sundays at 12pm to hear first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors that now live in Michigan.

Survivor Talk Sundays: Irene Miller
Every survivor’s story is unique and provides a special, first-hand account of life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Hearing from local Michigan survivors helps us see all the victims…

Survivor Talk Sundays: Rae Nachbar
Every survivor’s story is unique and provides a special, first-hand account of life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Hearing from local Michigan survivors helps us see all the victims…

Survivor Talk Sundays: Irene Miller
Every survivor’s story is unique and provides a special, first-hand account of life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Hearing from local Michigan survivors helps us see all the victims…

Unto Every Person There is a Name
Each year on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we invite community members and friends of The HC to take part in Unto Every Person There Is a Name. This international…

Refuge and Resistance: The Role of Music During the Holocaust:
American flutist Christine Erlander Beard presents a poignant and informative lecture-recital exploring the role of music during the Holocaust. Highlighting flute works by European composers whose lives were tragically cut…

Pieces of a Man: A comic one-man show about fatherhood, trauma, and joy
Exclusive Free Event for Members Globetrotting Londoner David is having a midlife crisis. He longs to grow up, but his dad keeps getting in the way. And he’s been dead…

Yom HaShoah Commemoration
Please join us at The Zekelman Holocaust Center for a commemoration featuring stirring readings, music and a candle-lighting ceremony. Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch and Hazzan Daniel Gross of Adat Shalom will…

Friday Public Tours
Join us at The HC every Friday afternoon for a public tour of our new exhibit. Guided tours are led by knowledgeable docents who can provide additional details on artifacts,…